From concept to reality | The Camphill World Wide Weave

For over 40 years, The Camphill Foundation UK and Ireland has been receiving legacies and donations to support a diversity of projects that are of benefit to Camphill communities and the Camphill movement as a whole. Almost a decade ago now, the Foundation embarked on an ambitious publicity and fundraising campaign titled “Extraordinary Lives” in the form of a ‘World Wide Weave,’ to not only mark Camphill’s 75th anniversary but to strengthen the awareness of Camphill’s existence around the world and to celebrate the creative talents and unique qualities of people throughout Camphill. Peter Bateson, who joined Camphill in 1975 and is one of our Trustees, was the driving force behind the campaign and the legacy of the World Wide Weave still lives on today.

The Foundation chose the craft of weaving / textiles as the basis of the project, as it is well established in Camphill and happening in most communities, which meant that the Foundation could involve as many as possible. People with learning disabilities have truly extraordinary creative talents and skills of all kinds and it is this message that the Foundation wished to convey throughout the campaign.

Around 2 years prior to the 75th anniversary, Camphill communities, active in weaving and textile workshops, were invited to take part and tasked with creating a piece of textile art symbolic of their community’s relationship to its physical and social environment. The aim was to create 75 panels to reflect the 75 years of Camphill which would then be displayed as a collection, travelling to international venues, depicting the manifold creative life of Camphill Communities around the world.

Invitations to take part were enthusiastically received by communities all over the world, and the project brought together individuals of all ages with varying learning disabilities from 67 communities in 19 countries, giving it a truly inclusive, international and multicultural quality, celebrating creative and artistic skills in the craft of weaving, tapestry-making, felting and multi-media textile design. Communities were inspired by the chance to contribute something very special that they had made, and in unison with other ‘friends’ from around the world. The participating communities were from England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Russia, Canada, USA, South Africa, India and Vietnam – the farthest west being Camphill California on Monterey Bay near San Francisco; the farthest east, the Peaceful Bamboo Family in the city of Hue, Vietnam; the farthest north, Vallersund Gård on the rugged seacoast of Norway, north of Trondheim and the farthest south, Camphill Farm, Hermanus on the coast of the southern tip of Africa.

The exhibition travelled to prestigious venues throughout various countries and groups of weavers were in attendance to support the exhibition in some of the venues, to enhance the visitors’ experience through direct personal engagement. Photos and text appeared alongside the panels, showing the weavers themselves and giving their own description of how they approached the task. An 80-page A5 colour brochure was also produced to accompany the exhibition, with photos of the panels and weavers and descriptive text, forming a complete and permanent record of the entire project.

There were very high-profile opening events in each location which was a huge undertaking and achievement in itself – The Dublin City Council centre opening was almost a national event, because of the level of pre-publicity and the direct involvement of prominence sponsors. The opening in Winchester Cathedral brought together the Dean and Chapter and cathedral staff with local dignitaries and the residents of nearby Ringwood Camphill communities. The opening at the Scottish Parliament building was attended by several Scottish MPs who were proud to acknowledge that they had one or more Camphill communities in their constituencies, including John Swinney, now First Minister. The exhibition in Tribeca, New York City, coincided with the annual fundraising gala of Camphill USA, bringing together many people from various walks of life in American society. In Oslo City Hall, the exhibition coincided with the celebration of 50 years of Camphill in Norway, with the attendance of the Mayor of Oslo and the King’s sister, Princess Astrid. (See appendix 1 for Exhibition Tour Itinerary).

There was an enormous amount of publicity along the way. Peter Bateson was interviewed live on the BBC Hampshire radio while sitting with the exhibition in Winchester Cathedral and huge numbers of people came from far and wide because of that exposure. He was also interviewed live on Radio Hudson in New York state with the same effect. Local collaborators in the venues themselves also put a lot of effort and imagination to the publicity, for example, there was a big article in the Philadelphia Inquirer which resulted in lots of people coming to the exhibition in the Lincoln Building at Historic Yellow Springs, more than an hour’s drive from the city, just to see the exhibition.

The World Wide Weave was an artistic endeavour, meant to be appreciated and enjoyed as such, but it also carried with it four important messages. Firstly, it embodied the principle of Unity in Diversity. Despite their huge variation in size, location and task and the incredibly rich mix of people in the network of Camphill communities, they all have the same set of core principles at heart. The exhibition expressed all the wonderfully varied and diverse characteristics of single communities, coming together in one great artistic panorama of Camphill.

Secondly, the exhibition carried a fundamental statement of equality regarding the potential of people with learning disabilities. The weavers, felters, tapestry-makers and embroiderers are artists and artisans in their own right and can place their work alongside that of mainstream artists and craftspeople.

A third element is that different individuals in a group have collaborated on a single piece of art, each contributing what they could towards the finished work. This was a major feature in the development of the World Wide Weave – a renewed experience of community cooperation and an example of social weaving along with the actual textile work. Many other people were also involved in those pieces incorporating other materials such as pottery, metal and wood, bringing together different workshops active in the community. A good example is the brilliant seaside image from Camphill Devon which has a colourful background of multi-textured weaving with felted and beadwork flowers, copper leaves, ceramic butterflies and wooden birds!

And fourth, most of the communities used entirely home produced, and in many cases, recycled materials in the World Wide Weave. A few of the exhibits are composed almost entirely of recycled materials. Caring for our natural resources, recycling and renewal is a special theme that runs throughout Camphill as a whole and this was reflected in the exhibition pieces.

The response to the exhibition from the general public was extremely warm and positive. Many visitors were astonished that they had never heard of Camphill. Many also said that they had heard of it but were amazed by its breadth and internationalism. They showed a deep respect for the ideals of community building which they saw through the images and text on view. As one visitor expressed, “the best thing of all is that it so clearly comes from a living experience of community, and that’s something that we all need nowadays”.

They were deeply affected by the richness and variety of colour in the exhibits and the incredible variety and complexity of techniques on display. Everyone commented on how unique each of the exhibits was, the only common factor being the dimensions of 60 x 80 cm, yet starting with the same working theme of “our community’s relationship to its physical and social environment”.

They experienced what they described as a joyful, uplifting and life-affirming message which they read in the exhibits, including the accompanying texts and photos. Last, but not least, they were deeply impressed by the skill and ability shown by the people who have created the exhibits and by the spirit of creative collaboration which is so much a part of that process.

The scope and breadth of the project was all encompassing and involved many of the villagers, co-workers, staff, friends and parents alike. Not only was it a great spectacle and platform to display the work of their communities to the general public and friends but it was wonderful to see everyone involved with a great sense of pride, united with their peers and given the opportunity to express what they stand for. It was very evident that there was a great sense of camaraderie amongst the members of the communities.

After two wonderful years and 26 public venues in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada, USA, Norway and Finland, the Camphill Foundation UK & Ireland’s World Wide Weave Exhibition closed for the last time on 30th November 2016 in Helsinki. The exhibition was seen by approximately 15,000 people, very few of whom had ever heard of Camphill before, so it is of great reward knowing that the campaign succeeded in what it set out to achieve – to strengthen the awareness of Camphill’s existence around the world and to celebrate the creative talents and unique qualities of people throughout Camphill.

The 75 exhibits were put on sale and many of them ended up with buyers in quite different countries from where they originated so the feeling of world-wide connectivity lives on. Some examples…

South Africa to Scotland

Scotland to USA

USA to England

Vietnam to Norway

Finland to Ireland

England to Switzerland

Russia to England

Canada to Scotland

Scotland to England

Norway to Ireland

California to Norway

The income from the exhibition tour, including sales and merchandising was approximately £55,000 which just covered the cost. Most of the exhibits were sold at varied prices up to £800 each, so they have found homes all over UK, Ireland, Europe and America, and some were donated by Peter Bateson to people who had been exceptionally helpful in the exhibition project as a token of thanks.

Almost a decade on Peter Bateson reflects, “The exhibition project was on a level above all issues and controversies in Camphill affairs at the time. It was on the level of pure artistic creativity and people collaborating in creative activity, reminding me of Silvia and Nick Shinn’s motto for Camphill St Albans and the work in the art studio – ‘APT Creations – Artists Producing Together’. This was a living principle for them, and it was also a fundamental feature of the whole exhibition.”

The overall artistic concept for the project was ‘Diversity in Unity’. Each Camphill community is unique, yet all are united by the core values of the Camphill movement. The project successfully showcased how all the wonderfully varied and diverse characteristics of single communities came together in one great artistic portrayal of Camphill.

The exposure that the exhibition gave Camphill in the different neighbourhoods of the UK and Ireland and in five other countries was tremendous and it engaged so many people in a positive discussion around Camphill. How better could we celebrate the 75 year’s existence of the ‘Camphill Endeavour’?

Ten years on, our immense gratitude to everyone involved is still very strong and especially to Peter Bateson, for his inspiration and tireless efforts in bringing the World Wide Weave to life.

 

Appendix 1

World Wide Weave exhibition tour itinerary

13th December 2014 – 10th of January 2015: Old Town Hall, High Street, Stroud Gloucestershire, England

12th January – 2nd of February: The Island Gallery, Bridewell Street, Bristol, England

5th February – 3rd March: Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire, England

25th March – 12th April: North Wall Arts Centre, Summertown, Oxford, England

21st April – 7th May: National Wool Museum of Wales, Llandysul, Carmarthenshire

11th – 25th May: Central Library, Cambridge, England

27th May – 13th June: Leeds Corn Exchange, West Yorkshire, England

18th June – 19th July: London – Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn

23rd July – 6th August: New Lanark World Heritage Site, South Lanarkshire, Scotland

14th – 29th August: Haddo House (National Trust), Ellon near Aberdeen, Scotland

1st – 10th September: Newton Dee Camphill Community, Bielside, Aberdeen

14th – 18th of September: Scottish Parliament, Holyrood, Edinburgh, Scotland

19th September – 3rd October: Omagh Library, Northern Ireland

5th – 12th October: Curve Gallery, Bangor Carnegie Library, Bangor, Northern Ireland

13th – 30th October: Belfast City Hall, East Wing, Northern Ireland

1st – 6th of November: Sean Hollywood Arts Centre Newry, Northern Ireland

10th November – 3rd December: The Atrium, Civic Offices, Dublin, Ireland

29th December: Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland

1st – 17th January 2016: Museum in the Park, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England

21st January – 14th February: Salle Araucaria, St Prex, Lake Geneva, Switzerland

7th – 22nd April: Collier Street United Church, Barrie, Ontario, Canada

28th April: Tribeca Three Sixty, New York City, USA (50th anniversary of Camphill in North America)

4th – 16th May: Solaris Centre for Social Arts Hudson, NY, USA

1st June – 6th July: Historic Yellow Springs, Chester Springs, PA USA

27th September – 3rd of October: City Hall, Oslo, Norway (50th anniversary of Camphill in Norway)

16th – 30th November: Pasila Central Library, Helsinki, Finland